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in three refectories, the domestic staff in another, mistresses in another,
whilst the children took their meals in two dining rooms, one large
hall for about 50 older boarders and a smaller one for about 30 junior
boarders.
On the 10th June the medical officer of the school reported that
cases of sickness and diarrhoea were occurring among the girls and
investigations were commenced by securing faeces specimens from
three of the sufferers. All three revealed the presence of Salmonella
typhi-murium.
The outbreak had two phases.
Phase 1.
The first phase began when the first case commenced to be ill
at 11.30 a.m. on Thursday, 9th June, and ended on the 14th June,
during which time 25 cases occurred on the following dates:—
9th June 9 cases.
10th June 8 cases.
11th June 1 case.
12th June 2 cases.
13th June 1 case.
14th June 3 cases.
The symptoms, which varied in severity, were identical in every
case: headache, fever, abdominal pain, sickness and diarrhoea and
prostration. The duration of acute symptoms varied up to four days,
diarrhoea being the most persistent although weakness continued for
some days longer. Salmonella typhi-murium was recovered from the
faeces in 11 of these 25 cases. Repeat specimens in the positive cases
were taken at intervals until negative and although it is not possible
to say on which day they became negative the interval between onset
of illness and the last positive and first negative result was as follows:—

The interval between onset and specimen in the 14 negative cases
was as follows :—
2 3 days
1 4 days
1 5 days
5 6 days
3 7 days
2 8 days
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